Cheatsheet vs Shortnotes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cheatsheet
Quickly store and access important information like hotel room numbers or license plates via widgets, a custom keyboard, or your Apple Watch. This app simplifies recalling details without needing to unlock your phone.
- Quick recall memos
- Widget access
- Custom keyboard integration
- Apple Watch app
- Search functionality
- Organize with folders
- Format notes
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Cheatsheet is for the little things you never remember: hotel rooms, license plates, luggage combination, ID numbers. Write them down in Cheatsheet and then refer to them anytime in a Widget or paste them anywhere with the Custom Keyboard. No more fumbling to unlock your phone and find your notes app; Cheatsheet is as easy as looking at your lock screen, pulling up the keyboard, or glancing at your Apple Watch. App Features: • Simple UI for adding and managing your cheats. • Over 450 icons to help you recognize what you’re looking for. • Quickly copy a cheat by tapping-and-holding on a row. • Search for your cheats, both in the app and in Spotlight. • Use Shortcuts or Siri to “add notes to Cheatsheet” or “find notes in Cheatsheet”. • Organize your cheats with folders and titles. • Format your notes with bold, italics, lists, links, and more. • Protect your cheats with Passcode Lock (Pro feature). • Sync between all your iOS devices via iCloud (Pro feature). Widgets: • Multiple sizes, styles, and colors. • Tap a cheat to open it. Tap the “+” button to add a cheat in the app. • Cheatsheet also has a “Today widget” with options to copy or delete cheats. Apple Watch: • Add, edit, and delete cheats right from your wrist. • Complications show your top cheat (or several cheats) right on your watch face. • Syncs to your iPhone via iCloud (Pro feature). Keyboard Extension: • Shows up to 50 cheats, which you can insert anywhere you can use a custom keyboard. • Includes space, delete, and return keys to help with simple edits. Advanced Features: • Automate your workflows with Shortcuts. • Action extension: send text or URLs to Cheatsheet from any app via the share sheet. • Customize the Cheatsheet widget’s appearance and behavior to suit your needs. • Add or open notes from Control Center (iOS 18 required). • URL scheme for adding a cheat: cheatsheet://add?text=everything%20is%20awesome. Cheatsheet Pro: • Remove limits on the widget, keyboard, and Watch app. • Protect your cheats with Passcode Lock. • Organize your cheats with folders. • Sync your cheats between your devices with iCloud. • Cheatsheet Pro is a simple, annual subscription; there is a one-time purchase option for customers who want to avoid subscriptions. Cheatsheet for Mac is sold separately. • Purchases help support the ongoing development of Cheatsheet — this app is beloved by its users and has over 10 years of active development by a single indie developer, so your support is truly appreciated! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Shortnotes
Capture and organize small pieces of information like codes, names, or license plates. Access your quick references across all your Apple devices, with options to add tags, photos, and even import notes from your desktop.
- Simple note adding and deleting
- Attach images to notes
- Speech input for notes
- Organize notes in folders
- Filter notes by tags
- iCloud synchronization
- Today Widget and Apple Watch support
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Shortnotes is perfect for all the little stuff that is not a "real" note. Your colleague's name, license plate, codes, room numbers, medicine names etc. Just put them down in one place and access them on your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Organize your notes in folders, attach tags and photos. View your favorite notes in the Today Widget. For pupils and students: now it's possible to prepare also large notes on your desktop computer and import them later in Shortnotes! Good luck ;-) Features: - Simple adding and deleting notes - Attaching images to the notes - Text formatting options - Create notes using speech input - Export as text file (.rtf) - Organize your short notes in folders - Changing the sort order of the notes - Favorites view - Filter notes by tags - Favorite notes are displayed in the App Widget (Today Extension) - iCloud-synchronisation. All of your notes are automatically synchronised between your devices like iPhone, iPad or Mac using iCLoud. Shortnotes Pro: - Import of the text files (.txt .rtf) - Favorite notes are displayed on your Apple Watch - Your purchase will help support the ongoing development of Shortnotes!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Cheatsheet at 4.7 against Shortnotes's 4.1. Cheatsheet also leads on review sentiment (81% vs 46%) and ratings volume (1.9K vs 12). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Cheatsheet sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Shortnotes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Cheatsheet holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cheatsheet has 1.9K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Cheatsheet's written reviews are positive against 46% of Shortnotes's.
Cheatsheet ships an update every 2 weeks, Shortnotes every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cheatsheet | Shortnotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.9K ratings) — better | 4.1 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.7% of reviews — better | 45.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.9K — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 128 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Overdesigned, LLC | Ilya Gorodnyanskiy |
Customer experience
Cheatsheet
Shortnotes
Bugs and requests
Cheatsheet
Reported bugs
3 issues- Entries disappearing from widget
- Syncing problems between devices
- Crashes on older devices
Requested features
5 requests- Add ability to sort/reorder entries
- Improve sync reliability
- Implement password protection
- Allow adding images/attachments to entries
- Expand customization options (colors, icons, etc.)
Shortnotes
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Cheatsheet
- Cheatsheet Pro$0.991 Month
- Cheatsheet Pro$1.991 Month
- Cheatsheet Pro$4.991 Year
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- Cheatsheet Pro14 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Small Tip$2.99
- Medium Tip$5.99
- Big Tip$9.99
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- Legacy$19.99
- Cheatsheet Pro (Lifetime)$79.99
Shortnotes
- Shortnotes Pro$3.99
Questions
Is Cheatsheet free?
Is Shortnotes free?
Which has better reviews, Cheatsheet or Shortnotes?
Do Cheatsheet or Shortnotes have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cheatsheet or Shortnotes?
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